South Florida Home Staging Perspectives

Feng Shui for Romance - Open Door Staging team featured on TV

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:09:40 -0600

Open Door Staging team members, Nadine Gross, Feng Shui Master, and Akanke Cadden, President, were featured on a recent WPB TV ( an NBC affiliate) feature about using Feng Shui for romance.

The goal of the feature was to leverage Feng Shui to transform a home so that the owner could attract a romantic partner.

See the transformation for yourself. Need some help organizing your home or business? Schedule your feng shui consultation today.

South Florida’s Premier Home Staging Professional Services Company. http://www.opendoorstaging.com

Selling Your Home in A Buyer's Market

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:03:35 -0600

Great advice from a real estate agent that understands the need to market your home to sell in this market.

-Akanke

Via Bill Gassett Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate:

There are many who have thought about selling their home but have not due to the decline in market values over the last few years. This is understandable UNLESS you are going to be buying another home under the same market conditions!

Sure market values have dipped quite a bit here in Metrowest Massachusetts. The value of homes in many towns has dropped by 20% or more since the peak in 2005. The $600,000 home you bought in 2005 may now have a value around $500,000. The point is if your are staying local it does not really matter. Why? Simple... you will be buying under the same market forces that you did while selling your home.

Here is a simple example. You bought your home for $600,000 and using a round figure of 20% it has dropped in value to $480,000. You have lost $120,000...ouch! Not really because if you are moving up in the market what used to be an $800,000 home is now worth $640,000.

If values had remained flat you would be going from a home valued at $600,000 up to a home worth $800,000. A difference of $200,000. In the present buyers market scenario the difference is $480,000 to $640,000 or a spread of $180,000. If you are moving up you saved yourself $20,000.

What if you are moving down? Lets turn the example around. You owned an $800,000 home that is now worth $640,000. It is too large for your needs and has become expensive to heat, maintain and pay taxes on. You desire something more manageable. Well guess what the house that you planned on buying three years ago for $600,000 is now only going to cost you $480,000. So what has happened is you have lost $40,000 in buying power. A 20% loss on 800k = $160,000. A 20% loss on $600,000 = $120,000. $160,000 - $120,000 = $40,000

So moving down isn't ideal but a loss of $40,000 is certainly much different than taking a paper loss of $160,000 especially if it is going to make your payments and cost to maintain the home much more reasonable.

When a client asks my advice this is the kind of information I ask them to look at when considering what is the best move for them. You would run this same kind of analysis if you were going to relocate to another area where the values of homes could be a lot different.

The X factor as of this writing is the historically low interest rates. This is a compelling reason to make a move now before they move up at some point.

If you come to the conclusion that selling your home is the right move there are three very important keys to success you need to pay attention to in a challenging Real Estate market.

Pricing your home properly

This is the single most important thing you can do to ensure you achieve your goal in a timely fashion. Your Realtor should be going over in detail the most recent comparable properties that have sold. The sales date becomes extremely important when the market is still in a downward slope. Pay close attention to when the sale took place. A home that sold even a few months ago may not sell for the same amount of money today.

It is always best to use the most recent sales. When none are available a good Real Estate agent should be able to factor in an appropriate price adjustment based upon the difference in time when the comparable property sold.

Be careful to be realistic when you are looking at the data. Sellers are notorious for viewing their homes differently because of emotional attachment. Look at your home through the eyes of a buyer.

The fact that you used heavy duty nails on the deck you built is not going to bring you $5000 more than the neighbors similar home down the Street.

Picking a good Realtor

When the market was booming and all you had to do was put a sign in the yard and add the home to MLS, picking a good Realtor was less critical. Not so in today's Real Estate environment where there are far few buyers in the market.

One of the critical components to picking a Realtor should be their ability to create a wide net to attract buyers. Over 85% of all buyers today find their home from an online search. You want an agent that can give you a dominant online presence. Your home should be displayed on all the sites that garner the highest amount of Real Estate traffic.

Some of the better Realtors will be using blogging and video as a means of creating interest. Search engines love blogs because they are not "static". A blog can be updated with fresh content daily if desired. Video not only enhances the presentation of your home but it can usually be found very easily online.

You should be looking for a Realtor that not only has a website but one that can be found in the search engines for terms specific to Real Estate in your market.

A good method of checking on the agents marketing skills is to "Google" their name. There should be pages and pages of results with an agent that knows how to market your home well online. If you don't see much I would really start to question the agents ability to attract the most buyers.

The premise is this: If an agent does not know how to market themselves how could you possibly expect them to do a good job marketing your home?

Marketing of course is very important but you should also look at the agents track record. References, market share, and an agents list price to sale price ratio are all worth consideration. Here are some excellent questions to ask Realtors you are interviewing.

Be careful of the agent who tries to "buy" your listing with an over inflated list price. What you will be stuck with is a Realtor with poor skills and a home that doesn't have a prayer of selling. This is why the agents list price to sale price ratio becomes important. It should also be pointed out that the ratio should be from the original list price.

Make your home presentable

Is staging your home with a staging company a must? I do not believe it is. Does it help you sell your home in a timely fashion? Absolutely! At the very minimum you should make sure your home is presentable. It should be neat and tidy. Having a clean and organized home that is visually appealing is important. There should be no ungodly smells present.

Getting rid of clutter and organizing closets are usually activities that will help generate a sale. Curb appeal is also important. Your yard and landscaping should be well maintained. Walk ways should be kept clear and your entry way should be spotless. 1st impressions go a long way in selling a home.

These are the basics. A professional staging company can really make your home stand out in a good way.

In the article top ten mistakes to avoid when selling your Massachusetts home there are seven other pitfalls to watch out for as well.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

The above information on selling your home in a buyers market was provided by Bill Gassett, the team leader for the #4 RE/MAX Team in Massachusetts in 2007. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-435-5356. Bill has helped people move in and out of many Metrowest towns for the last 22+ Years. Bill's office is conveniently located in the center of Hopkinton MA at 77 Main Street.

I have a passion for Real Estate and love to share my marketing expertise! I would welcome the opportunity to earn your business.

For Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate and homes see Metrowest Mass Real Estate. Want to have MLS access to beat other buyers to your dream home? Sign up with no obligation at my MLS Property Finder Site.

I service the following towns in Metrowest Massachusetts: Hopkinton, Milford, Upton, Southboro, Westboro, Ashland, Holliston, Mendon, Hopedale, Medway, Grafton, Northbridge, Uxbridge, Franklin, Douglas, and Framingham MA.

Click here to view Bill Gassett's Real Estate profile.

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Building lasting relationships by helping people move in and out of Metrowest Massachusetts for the last 22 years.

South Florida ‘Stage It Forward’ Roundtable 2008 - A Success

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:13:24 -0600

Stagers from across South Florida attended the first South Florida ‘Stage It Forward’ Roundtable.

The response to the invite below was tremendous, and we would like to thank our sponsors Arrons Rents, and DS Cleaning and Maid Service for helping make this event a sucess.

Use the link within the invite to sign up for the next event in the series. Photos below.

Best Regards & Successful Staging,

RESA-Stage It Forward South Florida Roundtable Event

Discuss popular topics with other professional Home Stagers

Date:              November 11, 2008

Time:              12:00pm-2:30pm

Location:       Aarons Rents

7395 W 20 Ave., Unit B

Hialeah, Fl 33014

Lunch will be provided by DS Cleaning & Maid Service (954) 364-7949)

Moderator: Akanke Cadden (954) 243-6844

Email: Akanke@OpenDoorStaging.com

Regards,

Akanke Cadden, ASP, RESA

South Florida’s Premier Home Staging Professional Services Company.

http://www.opendoorstaging.com

Have us present at your brokerage or organization.

Warm regards,
Akanke Cadden
President, RESA South Florida Chapter

Realtor Association Endorses The Need For Staging When Selling Real Estate - Get The Brochure

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 08:38:44 -0500

The Realtor Association finally gets behind the need to stage your home for sale, and has produced offical collateral for their real estate agents to use when communicating the need for home staging.

For more details on how to get the offical brochure, click here. They cost $39 for 100 brochures. ($29 for members).

This endorsement by the Realtor Association finally validates the need for staging services with their members (real estate agents). Make sure to mention this when talking to prospective sellers and real estate agents alike when offering your services.

Kudo's to the Realtor Association, finally staging is another accepted service when selling real estate.

Warm regards,

Akanke Cadden
President, RESA South Florida Chapter, ASP, IAHSP

Home Staging Professional Services Company.

http://www.opendoorstaging.com

Have us present at your brokerage or organization.

Want to join our team? - Apply here.

SET THE STAGE FOR A SALE - Florida Realtor Association advises staging a home to sell in the September issue of their realtor magazine - What is your local Assoc saying on the topic?

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 20:24:46 -0500

It took some time, but finally, the Florida Realtor Association is advising their Realtors to include home staging in their approach to selling a property.

Are other Realtor Associations communicating a similar message around the country? Please comment and let us know.

Simple fixes and staging practices can focus buyers' attention in the right places and keep them from getting sidetracked by personal items in the home. Here are some staging suggestions from Deborah Ehrlich-Layne of Tampa, Fla.-based Staging Plus, Handyman Matters, and HGTV's show, "The Stagers."

Eliminate countertop clutter. A countertop covered with small appliances and utensils looks crowded, not spacious.
Pack up the too-personal. Don't leave toiletries on the counter. Stash family photos.
Be prepared for snoops. Prospective buyers pull open drawers, look in closets and peek behind the shower curtain.
Make sure things work. Dripping faucets, burned-out light bulbs and squeaking hinges detract from the home's appeal.
Think "white-glove clean." Mop, dust, vacuum, clean baseboards and wash windows. Make sure the house looks fresh and smells neutral.
Make sure the front door is clean and the hardware polished. Power-wash walkways.
Store furniture that makes rooms feel crowded.
Show every room for the kind of room it is. Maybe you've turned your formal dining room into a home office. Get rid of the desk and computer, and bring back the dining table and chairs.

Source: The Dallas Morning News (09/05/2008)
© Copyright 2008 INFORMATION, INC.

WANTED: South Florida Property for Feng Shui and Redesign TV Show!

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:02:48 -0500

Open Door Staging, Inc. has been asked by a South Florida television network to participate in a fun and exciting feature segment on Feng Shui and interior redesign.

The TV segment will focus on how the art of Feng Shui can help a home owner or tenant acquire a romantic relationship.

If you know of someone looking for a romantic relationship, and wants to see how a Feng Shui treatment of their home can help - send us an email.

Make sure to include your contact details and some photos of the interior of the property.

The property and participant should meet the following criteria:

Located in Palm Beach or North Broward County .
Owner or renter should be single and looking for a romantic relationship
Property should not be for sale (staging to sell and staging to live/redesign require to different approaches)
Participant must agree to allow the Open Door Staging team into the property prior to (for assessment and planning) and during the redesign and filming stages.
Participant must be present at the time of filming and may be interviewed by producer Participant should be open to or already know about Feng Shui
Participant must be available for a planning meeting in September and filming during the first and/or second week in October 2008

This will be a fun experience. I look forward to your responses. If you know of someone looking for a romantic relationship, and wants to see how a Feng Shui treatment of their home can help - send us an email.

Feng Shui is an ancient art and science developed over 3,000 years ago in China . It is a complex body of knowledge that reveals how to balance the energies of any given space to assure the health and good fortune for people inhabiting it. Read more

Redesign is decorating a home using the owners existing furnishings to give a more updated, contemporary, and fresh look and feel to the home; it’s like a house “makeover”. In some cases we need to bring in a few needed accessories to create the desired look.

Warm regards,

Akanke Cadden
President, RESA South Florida Chapter, ASP, IAHSP

Home Staging Professional Services Company.

http://www.opendoorstaging.com

Have us present at your brokerage or organization.

Want to join our team? - Apply here.

RESA South Florida Chapter Meeting - September 2008

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:12:37 -0500

Save the date - RESA South Florida Chapter Meeting - September 2008.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008, 12:00-2:00pm
9633 West Broward Blvd., Ste. 7, Plantation, FL 33324
RSVP to 954-243-6844 or via email TO resa@OpenDoorStaging.com
$5 Donation for Lunch

Join the RESA South Florida Chapter formation discussion.

Create the chapter that you want to support and grow your home staging business. After the wonderful turnout and positive response from our RESA South Florida kickoff meeting, it's time to build upon the momentum and excitement.

Get involved in the RESA South Florida chapter to build your home staging business.

To ensure that our chapter meets the needs of its members, at this meeting we want to hear from you:

What do you expect from RESA South Florida to grow your home staging business?

We plan to have educational seminars. What topics would you like to know more about (financial management, prospecting, cold calling, networking, blog writing, search engine optimization, etc.)?

Where should we best spend our marketing dollars to further home staging locally so that we may all benefit?

RESA Monthly Resource Meeting: What’s it all about?

How to get involved in the RESA South Florida Chapter

Bring your own topic

Your voice is what will propel our industry and this association forward, so we want to hear from you.

Come join your local staging community as we discuss and outline the future of the RESA South Florida chapter.

This will be another important meeting you don’t want to miss.

RESA is committed to supporting Home Stagers and Redesigners of all designations.

See you soon!

Regards,

Akanke Cadden, ASP, RESA

http://www.opendoorstaging.com Have us present at your brokerage or organization.

Warm regards,

Akanke Cadden
President, RESA South Florida Chapter

RESA South Florida Chapter established.

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 20:49:07 -0500

Last night, home stagers of all certifications, from all over South Florida met to establish the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA), South Florida Chapter.

Akanke Cadden, President and founding member of the chapter, outlined the history of RESA and explained the real estate networking opportunities and benefits for RESA members.

Akanke Cadden, President and founder of RESA South Florida Chapter welcomes the attendees.

Click on the link for all the photographs from the event - RESA - Real Estate Staging Association South Florida Chapter established.

Warm regards,

Akanke Cadden
President, RESA South Florida Chapter, ASP, IAHSP

Home Staging Professional Services Company.

http://www.opendoorstaging.com

Have us present at your brokerage or organization.

Want to join our team? - Apply here.

RESA South Florida Chapter established.

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 20:48:59 -0500

Last night, home stagers of all certifications, from all over South Florida met to establish the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA), South Florida Chapter.

Akanke Cadden, President and founding member of the chapter, outlined the history of RESA and explained the real estate networking opportunities and benefits for RESA members.

Akanke Cadden, President and founder of RESA South Florida Chapter welcomes the attendees.

Click on the link for all the photographs from the event - RESA - Real Estate Staging Association South Florida Chapter established.

Warm regards,

Akanke Cadden
President, RESA South Florida Chapter, ASP, IAHSP

Home Staging Professional Services Company.

http://www.opendoorstaging.com

Have us present at your brokerage or organization.

Want to join our team? - Apply here.

RESA South Florida Chapter established.

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 20:42:32 -0500

Last night, home stagers of all certifications, from all over South Florida met to establish the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA), South Florida Chapter.

Akanke Cadden, President and founding member of the chapter, outlined the history of RESA and explained the real estate networking opportunities and benefits for RESA members.

Akanke Cadden, President and founder of RESA South Florida Chapter welcomes the attendees.

Click on the link for all the photographs from the event - RESA - Real Estate Staging Association South Florida Chapter established.

Warm regards,

Akanke Cadden
President, RESA South Florida Chapter, ASP, IAHSP

Home Staging Professional Services Company.

http://www.opendoorstaging.com

Have us present at your brokerage or organization.

Want to join our team? - Apply here.

RESA South Florida Chapter established.

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:04:27 -0500

Last night, home stagers of all certifications, from all over South Florida met to establish the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA), South Florida Chapter.

Akanke Cadden, President and founding member of the chapter, outlined the history of RESA and explained the real estate networking opportunities and benefits for RESA members.

Akanke Cadden, President and founder of RESA South Florida Chapter welcomes the attendees.

Click on the link for all the photographs from the event - RESA - Real Estate Staging Association South Florida Chapter established.

Warm regards,

Akanke Cadden
President, RESA South Florida Chapter, ASP, IAHSP

Home Staging Professional Services Company.

http://www.opendoorstaging.com

Have us present at your brokerage or organization.

Want to join our team? - Apply here.

Professional Organizing Tips for your home or business

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:53:39 -0500

What is Clutter?

Clutter is often defined as a disorderly heap, assemblage or simply litter.

Clutter eats equity
Clutter is difficult to part with
Clutter is truly our “stuff”…our knickknacks our magazines we will one day read.

Removing clutter enhances the value of your home and life at the same time…

Get through the dreaded de-clutter phase of staging with ease by following these tips;

Commit to the process

Admitting that you have clutter is the biggest step in tackling this entire process.

Understanding that you will need to emotional detach yourself from these items is the next. It is recommended that someone you trust works with you and doesn’t hold the same sentimental attachment to your belongings but understands value and need.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE.

Need some help organizing your home or business? Schedule your professional organizing consultation today with a member of of Professional Organization team.

South Florida’s Premier Home Staging Professional Services Company.

http://www.opendoorstaging.com

Have us

Nadine Gross, Feng Shui Master, joins the Open Door Staging team.

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:30:49 -0500

We are delighted to welcome Nadine Gross, Feng Shui Master to the Open Door Staging team.

As we continue to develop and present solutions to our customers, Feng Shui is an important element for a growing section of sellers and buyers. Our customers expect the best, and we aim to deliver, and are fortuntate to have Nadine's experience and expertise availble to our customers.

Nadine Gross, Feng Shui Master and instructor, of the Black Tantric Buddhist Sect (BTB), has been servicing business and residential feng shui clients in the US and Europe for over 10 years.

She is a graduate of the Metropolitan School of Interior Design and the Open Center Professional Feng Shui Training course.

For 30 years Nadine was a design director in the Home Furnishings Industry servicing Fortune 500 companies.

Nadine, Welcome to the team.

Warm regards,
Akanke Cadden
President, RESA South Florida Chapter

Home Staging Professional Services Company.

http://www.opendoorstaging.com

Have us present at your brokerage or organization.

Want to join our team? - Apply here.

RESA South Florida Chapter Kick-Off Event - Win $200 from Cort Furniture Rental

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:58:35 -0500

It's here, the Home Staging association that connects you to local Realtors, The Real Estate Staging Association, South Florida Chapter

Home Stagers
You Are Invited To Attend

The RESA South Florida Chapter Kick-Off Meeting
August 14, 2008, 6-8 PM
Hosted by CORT Furniture Rental
10000 Pines Blvd, Pembroke Pines, FL 33024

Wine and Cheese served
There will be a drawing by Cort Furniture Rental for a $200 credit toward a home staging rental. You don't want to miss this!

Space is limited, RSVP early to Akanke Cadden, 954-243-6844, via email: akanke@OpenDoorStaging.com

Feel free to tell other stagers in the area. ALL are welcome.

I look forward to seeing you and building a strong staging community in South Florida.

Warm regards,
Akanke Cadden
President, RESA South Florida Chapter

Home Staging Professional Services Company.

http://www.opendoorstaging.com

Have us present at your brokerage or organization.

Want to join our team? - Apply here.

Home Staging on TV - The Stagers - New HGTV show

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:08:29 -0500

‘The Stagers' goes inside the hectic world of professional home stagers as they rush to transform a problem house into a showroom - often in just a few days. Amid the tantrums and turmoil are tips and touch-up ideas you can put to work in your own home.

Take the home staging quiz - click here.

Some virtual tours tips that will help sell your home

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:18:59 -0500

Virtual tour technology with sometimes-cumbersome 360 degree views is competing with slide shows and floor plans with room views that don't distort the rooms and are easier for many computer and Smartphone users to view.

Open Door Staging founds South Florida chapter of RESA - Real Estate Staging Association

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:41:05 -0500

Open Door Staging founds South Florida chapter of RESA - Real Estate Staging Association

June 26, 2008

Akanke Cadden from Open Door Staging elected President of the South Florida Real Estate Staging Association (RESA).

Akanke is an established home staging professional in South Florida and believes that the establishment of the South Florida RESA chapter will "connect fellow home staging professionals so that we can further the needs of the home staging industry in South Florida together".

Pro Home Staging post from a Real Estate Agent - "Want your Listing to get ATTENTION "

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:47:16 -0500

I came across this post by a real estate professional and thought you may wish to read what she says about how home staging helps her business.

Click on the link to see the Active Rain post.

Want your Listing to get ATTENTION

Home Staging featured on Real Estate Radio show.

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 11:03:11 -0500

Friday June 13, 2008.

Akanke Cadden, from Open Door Staging was interviewed for the popular Real Estate Radio show. The interview addresses the need for staging, pricing estimates and the need for home staging in todays market. Play the Interview... CLICK HERE.

Akanke Cadden is an Accredited Staging Professional, ASP, and president of Open Door Staging, Inc., a full-service home staging business serving south Florida. She is the 2008 President-Elect of the Fort Lauderdale chapter of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals. She regularly presents a seminar entitled "Home Staging - what is in it for you?" to real estate agents at both the Realtor Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale and the South Broward Board of Realtors.

Prior to entering the world of Home Staging, Akanke was part of the dot.com high technology start-up industry while living in San Francisco, California. Her project management, graphic design and creative department management experiences gained during this exciting time period have enabled her to provide superior customer experiences and are part of her company's successes.

Akanke gained her design education from the prestigious Columbus College of Art and Design. Her formal education and home staging accreditation has been the firm foundation for her experiences in the world of art, design, and property staging.

Play the Interview... CLICK HERE

Give us, the Open Door Staging team 15 minutes, and we will tell you how to make your listing look better than the compedition online to sell your property faster.

South Florida's Premier Home Staging Professional Services Company.

http://www.opendoorstaging.com Have us present at your brokerage or organization.

Shift Happens!

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:01:47 -0500

Change is constant, and this video captures that fact.

Home Staging is currently changing the real estate landscape, and will be a requirement shortly.

Bad For Sale 'snaps' - Lighting is critical.

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:59:08 -0500

When you take a photgraph of your family, a beloved pet, or friends, you try to make sure there is a good light source. What’s the point in taking a photo in the dark?

Isn’t it just as important for buyers to clearly see the subject of your real estate marketing photographs? Property photos (we call them Staged Marketing Photos) of a property are the basis for much of the marketing campaign surrounding a property.

Here are some of this months examples - taken from a public website populated by real estate agents in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Bathroom photographs should only be used if it is a selling feature of the property. The lighting in this 'snap' says it best 'dreary'. If you have to include a bathroom photo, turn on all the lights; be sure to use high wattage light bulbs.

A large room, one of the main selling features of the home. How would a buyer know? Light sells. This 'snap' says 'another ho-hum' room.

This one could be considered artistic. An attempt to add light and drama? The room has lost it's impact with the eye catching light. Maybe the light comes with the house? Maybe the lamp is hte feature, and happens to come with an extra room?

The picture says it all.... Nothing to add to this one. Next house please!

Hard to know what we are looking at here. Open the windows, or try a different angle. A widescreen lens would work best here. "Maybe this house needs some repairs?" OR "Seems a little run down" could be some of the buyer's thoughts on this one - "What are the sellers hiding?".

Ahhh... setting the mood with lighting. Buyers want to see the updated bathroom, but the photographer went a little too far 'mood setting'. Is that someone in the mirror? If you have an updated bathroom - show it off.

Property photographs are often a buyer’s first impression of a home. If the buyers cannot clearly see what is being sold, the seller is off to a bad start.

Over 87% of home buyers search for properties online, not to mention the Realtors that search the MLS. Once they’ve entered their search criteria, price, location, etc., marketing photographs are how they decide which of those to visit.

As a result, how your property looks online is critical for attracting buyers and their agents—the more visits, the better chance of an offer. Your property needs to beat the competition.

Give us, the Open Door Staging team 15 minutes, and we will tell you how to make your listing look better than the compedition online to sell your property faster.

South Florida’s Premier Home Staging Professional Services Company.

http://www.opendoorstaging.com Have us present at your brokerage or organization.

The secret truth about Home Staging Statistics - 0.4% - the truth is in the numbers.

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:34:53 -0500

This is a very different post about home staging statistics. These home staging statistics are irrefutable, and highlight the secret little truth about home staging and the real estate industry that no one seems ready to talk frankly about on the record.

The June 2008 edition of the Realtor Association Magazine is received by all Realtors in the United States, and contains a featured article "10 Ways to Make Your House More Salable".

Surprisingly, this article, read by Realtors nationwide fails to make a single mention of home staging, preferring to focus on the obvious selling preparation tasks ranging from small repairs to better wattage bulbs.

If this is the opinion of the real estate industry magazine, is it any wonder that home staging remains in the real estate shadows?

How could this happen? If we leave real estate industry magazines aside, how could the majority of Real Estate Agents still not know about home staging given the numerous HGTV shows on the home staging, the exhaustive marketing by the home staging community, and weekly home staging presentations at real estate brokerages nationwide?

Though home staging has been an established practice within the real estate industry, we are surprised to find that less than 10% of South Florida Real Estate Agents that we meet have ever mentioned the need to stage a home for a faster and/or more profitable sale, to their home sellers.

To investigate this statistic, we did a little "home staging statistics" research. (Hardly scientific, but enlightening nonetheless.)

SHOW ME THE NUMBERS. How are Real Estate Agents communicating the home staging message to their sellers? Do they simply cut and paste or are they trusted advisors?

A Google internet search for the term "10 Ways to Make Your House More Salable" produced more than 550,000 results.
- Most were real estate agent websites aimed at home sellers nationwide.
We extended search to include the terms "10 Ways to Make Your House More Salable" *and* "home staging",
- There are 22,000 web page results on real estate agents websites aimed at home sellers.
- Yet when you search for "home staging", there are 2.3 Million web pages returned.

SO WHAT? WHAT DOES IT MATTER?

Sadly, interpreting the results;

Less than 0.4% of real estate agents believe in updating their website to communicate the importance of home staging to their sellers as one of their top tips for selling a home.
Most simply cut and paste web content they find elsewhere, without improving it to include their value added comments.
Yet, many more claim to talk about home staging to their clients - hardly convincing.

WHAT DOES THAT NUMBER MEAN TO ME, the real estate agent / the seller?

It means that there will be a lot of unhappy sellers. These sellers are getting less than the level of service they should be getting, and their homes are sitting on the market. There is no commission for an expired listing and unhappy sellers find new agents and are not a good referral source.
Conversely, it means there are a small percentage of real estate agents that are leveraging home staging, selling their listings, and consiquently, they have happy sellers.
It means that sellers have had to educate themselves on the home selling process and are seeking out home staging aware real estate agents. Real estate agents need to mention home staging during their listing presentation or sellers will find an agent that does.

From the numbers above, it is clear that home staging has a long way to go before it is adopted by the real estate community at large.

Perhaps this explains why over 75% of our inbound home staging inquiries come from educated home sellers. These sellers have taken the preparation of their home and it's market presentation upon themselves.

This is an increasing trend, and we are happy to refer these sellers to ‘home staging aware' real estate agents when they request a referral.

Contact us to join our ‘home staging aware' real estate agent group.

READERS - WHAT ARE YOUR HOME STAGING STATISTICS? Let us know below.

South Florida's Premier Home Staging Professional Services Company.

http://www.opendoorstaging.com

Have us present at your brokerage or organization.

http://www.opendoorstaging.com

Have us present at your brokerage or organization.

Open Door Staging stages LifeTime Balancing Act TV Show Segment.

Tue, 27 May 2008 20:30:13 -0500

Open Door Staging creates the stage for LifeTime Balancing Act TV Segment on creative lettering segment with WiseDecor.com.

Open Door Staging was contacted by the producers at LifeTime and asked to secure a suitable south Florida property for the TV segment. We reached out to our network of sellers and real estate agents to locate a suitable property for the TV show.

Thank you to all that responded.

Within 4 hours we had agreed upon the property and 5 days later the property was staged for the TV segment and filming was completed.

South Florida's Premier Home Staging Professional Services Company.

http://www.opendoorstaging.com/

Have us present at your brokerage or organization.

Exercise equipment snaps do not sell homes.

Wed, 14 May 2008 09:27:43 -0500

Keeping yourself physically fit and in shape is important and to be encouraged, but when selling your home, sellers should put the exercise equipment away.

We need visiting buyers to be able to see how they could live in the home, not how you live in your home.

Have a look at the following ‘for sale' snaps as posted by real estate agents on a public listing site in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Would you choose to visit these properties based upon how these rooms look? Can you tell the price range of these homes? Answer below.

Moving the clutter out of the way is the first part of this owner's get-fit routine. Buyers want large bedrooms, put the gym equipment away.

Just what buyers want; a home office and free gym membership. Most buyers want a roomy home office - remove the gym equipment.

Ahhh, for the outdoors type. This is Florida, buyers want to have an outdoor seating area for relaxing/entertaining, put the gym equipment away.

Finally, the fully equipped gym. Not a square inch wasted. No room for anything else. I think you get the picture, buyers prefer an extra bedroom. Put the gym equipment away.

These 'snaps' are not ‘Marketing photographs'.

ANSWER: All these homes were listed for sale between $550k and $650k. Surprised?

Over 85% of buyers search for properties online and photographs of your property are how they decide which homes to visit. Buyers typically short-list properties that meet their price, location, etc. search criteria online, and further refine their short-list of homes to actually visit based on how the home looks in the online photographs.

As a result, how your property for sale looks online is critical in getting buyers to visit - the more visits, the better chance of an offer. Your property needs to look better than the competition.

Give us, the Open Door Staging team 15 minutes, and we will tell you how to make your listing look better than the competition online to sell your property faster.

South Florida's Premier Home Staging Professional Services Company.

http://www.opendoorstaging.com/

Have us present at your brokerage or organization.

Meet The Newest Member Of The Open Door Staging Team.

Wed, 14 May 2008 09:24:14 -0500

We are excited to introduce the newest member of our Home Staging team.

Mary Nowak, AHS is an Accredited Home-Staging Specialist.

Mary has over 13 years experience in the home decor industry.

She is a professional organizer and space management consultant.

She has a Bachelor of Science in Human Development & Family Studies from the University of Wisconsin. Contact Mary»

Welcome to the team Mary.

South Florida's Premier Home Staging Professional Services Company.

http://www.opendoorstaging.com/

Have us present at your brokerage or organization.

Open Door Staging.

South Florida's Premier Home Staging Professional Services Company.

Serving Miami Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, south Florida. (cities include Fort Lauderdale, Weston, Davie, Plantation, Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Hollywood, Pompano Beach, Sunrise, Miami, South Beach, Coral Gables).

We stage lived-in/occupied homes, vacant homes and vacant condos.